Random Picker & Wheel
Spin a fair picker for a list of names or options.
Runs locally in your browser
3 entries. Repeated entries count separately.
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What is the Random Picker & Wheel?
Random selection is useful whenever a choice should be fair and visibly impartial: drawing a giveaway winner, deciding who presents first, assigning chores, picking a lunch spot or calling on students. Doing it by hand, or with a predictable rule such as alphabetical order, invites claims of bias. A good random picker gives every entry the same chance and makes each draw independent of the previous one.
This picker takes a list with one item per line, trims surrounding spaces and ignores blank lines, then selects one entry using the browser's cryptographically secure random number generator. It uses rejection sampling to avoid the slight bias a simple remainder calculation would introduce. For lists of up to 16 entries, it spins a two-color wheel that stops with the pointer on the chosen item; longer lists still work, just without the wheel. Duplicate lines count as separate entries, and the list never leaves your device.
How to use it
- 1Enter one item per line.
- 2Select Pick an item.
- 3Repeat if you need another independent selection.
How it works
The picker uses the browser Web Crypto API with rejection sampling so each line has an equal chance of selection.
Example
Enter one participant per line and choose a winner locally.
Limitations & notes
- This is not an audited lottery or contest platform.
- Repeated entries increase an item’s odds.
Frequently asked questions
Is an online random picker truly fair?
It depends on the method. Many simple pickers use Math.random, which is fine for casual use but is not designed to be unpredictable. This tool uses crypto.getRandomValues, the generator browsers provide for security purposes, and discards values that would favor some positions, so with 7 entries each has exactly a 1 in 7 chance. Fairness also depends on the list itself: duplicates and missing names change the odds.
How do I pick several winners without repeats?
The tool picks one item per spin and does not remove it from the list, so the same entry can be chosen twice. For several distinct winners, pick once, delete the winner's line and spin again. Each new draw is then uniform over the remaining entries, which is equivalent to drawing names from a hat without putting them back. Note each result, or take a screenshot, if you need to show the process later.
What is rejection sampling and why does it matter?
The random generator produces whole numbers from 0 to 4,294,967,295. Mapping that range onto 3 items with a simple remainder leaves one extra value, which makes the first item very slightly more likely. Rejection sampling discards numbers from the incomplete final block and draws again, so every item has the same number of possible values. The bias removed is tiny, but eliminating it costs almost nothing.
Can I give some entries better odds than others?
There is no weight setting, but repeated lines count separately, so you can weight by repetition. Listing Alice three times and Bob once gives Alice a 3 in 4 chance and Bob a 1 in 4 chance, which suits raffles where people earn extra tickets. Watch for accidental duplicates, such as a name pasted twice from a sign-up sheet, and remove them first if every person should have equal odds.
Can I use this picker for an official contest or giveaway?
For informal giveaways it works well, but formal sweepstakes often carry legal requirements such as official rules, eligibility checks and, in some places, an independent or auditable draw. This tool keeps no log and produces no verifiable record of a draw. If transparency matters, announce the method in advance, publish the entry list, and record your screen while you pick.
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